St. Cloud VA says it is not part of investigation

A new room equipped for telemetry at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System's Urgent Care Clinic is seen during an open house Dec. 22, part of the 8,000-square-foot walk-in clinic in St. Cloud serving veterans.(Photo:
Times photo
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St. Cloud VA Health Care System officials say their facility isn't among the 26 under investigation in a scandal rocking the national VA health system.

VA hospital administrators in Phoenix — and perhaps other locations — are being accused of keeping concealed patient wait lists to hide delays in care for veterans. At least one former doctor at the Phoenix VA facility says as many as 40 veterans may have died waiting for care.

The allegations have President Barack Obama's administration on the defensive. Veterans groups, including the American Legion, are calling for Gen. Eric Shinseki to resign as secretary of the Veterans Administration.

In an email response to an inquiry from the Times, a St. Cloud VA system spokeswoman, Patricia Aljets, said administrators there did not keep two waiting lists for appointments, as former VA employees allege occurred at the Phoenix facility.

St. Cloud VA officials have not answered questions from the Times about how long veterans are waiting for care there.

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who represents St. Cloud, is among those calling for Shinseki's resignation. Yet Bachmann, R-Stillwater, distinguishes between the national agency and the St. Cloud VA system in her district.

"From my own regular visits to my family members' personal experience receiving care, I have always found the St. Cloud VA committed to delivering high-quality care to Minnesota veterans and taking the necessary steps to modernize as needs progress," Bachmann said in a statement to the Times.

The Bachmann statement also said she spoke privately this week with St. Cloud VA system director Barry Bahl to discuss his thoughts on "issues facing the VA."

A former doctor for the VA in Phoenix first came out publicly with the allegations in April. Critics say the director of the Phoenix facility was motivated to conceal delays to collect a bonus of about $9,000 last year.

Dr. Samuel Foote, who retired in December after almost 25 years with the VA, says that up to 40 veterans may have died while awaiting treatment at the Phoenix hospital. Investigators say they have so far not linked any patient deaths in Phoenix to delayed care.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Mankato, serves on a U.S. House veterans affairs panel and is a retired command sergeant major in the Minnesota National Guard.

Walz "has been assured by Minnesota VA officials that there are no secret lists and the data presented appears to support that," a Walz spokeswoman, Sara Severs, said in a statement.

But Walz and U.S. Sen Al Franken, DFL-Minn., are pushing further. They've requested VA officials provide information about wait times for VA appointments in Minnesota.

Aljets declined to address Times questions Friday about wait times for appointments at the St. Cloud facility — including how they compare with other VA facilities — except to say "the St. Cloud VA Health Care System is transparent with veterans about scheduling issues."

Aljets directed the inquiries to the VA's national Freedom of Information Act office.

"It's difficult to generalize at this point and compare ourselves to others across the nation," Aljets said.

It can take months to receive responses to FOIA requests. But Aljets said VA officials plan to expedite responses to information requests relating to wait times.

Aljets also said the St. Cloud VA system recently underwent an audit ordered for all VA facilities in response to the allegations. The audit examined whether facilities were following the national VA scheduling policy, Aljets said.

Franken's office on Friday released a letter he sent VA officials, requesting information about VA wait times in Minnesota. Franken was quoted in the letter as saying the secret-list allegations "shock the conscience."

"Thus far, we are not aware of any similar allegations with respect to VA health care facilities in Minnesota," Franken wrote. "But regardless of where they occurred, these allegations have shaken confidence in the VA health care system, and we must do everything possible to restore that trust."